Wicked
by Lady Draculea
Summary: Apparently one promise of death wasn't enough. Now, Mia has to deal with another type of fear following her, one just as likely, if not more so, to leave her dead and forgotten.
1. High Speed

_It came to my in a dream last night and I could resist writing it down. Sorry about any typos that I have missed. If you notice any please report then in a review so I can fix it.  
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** Wicked  
Lady Draculea  
Chapter 1: High Speed**

_Friday – October 26th_

It was eleven-something at night, later than the usual time when Mia stopped at the local mini-mall for her weekly lottery ticket. She was running late, again. It seemed to be the week of irate customers. All week there had been more hostile people than usual, all of which were armed with personal vendettas. She could still hear the slight ringing in her ears from all the yelling and counter bashing that one woman had done in the twenty minutes she had spent insulting Mia. Being accused personally for the reason whatever product malfunctioned wasn't new to Mia, if anything she had come to expect it. It had taken her months of practice, but she had mastered that infuriating face and tone of voice that drove people mad with its general _niceness, _andif she was brutally honest with herself, imitating a mannequin creeped the hell out of her. At least the customers didn't bring her to tears anymore.

Over an hour late, she was now stuck behind two men that Mia really didn't want to get any closer too. Her section of the neighbourhood was known for its weirdoes, weirdoes that mostly ventured outside late at night. She was nervous and wanted to get home before any of the more daring ones decided to harass her.

Shifting her weight to her other leg, Mia peered around the tall man in front of her, trying to ignore the urge to fiddle with his long black hair that was prettier than her own. The guy in front of the line had both hands shoved into his pocket and a hat pulled low over his face. Not a good sign. Mia really hoped that this wasn't a robbery in the making, but quickly dismissed the idea almost as soon as it popped into her mind. The store was hardly empty and there was only one potential convenience store burglar. She also really doubted the man in front of her would be involved in something like that.

The guy in the front leaned farther against the counter, nervously checking his watch and tapping his fingers against the plastic top. The clerk was obviously exasperated over the customer's indecisiveness, and frankly Mia was getting annoyed too. Why didn't he just chose something and leave. Not everyone had the time of day or paranoid-free mothers!

Sighing, she crossed her arms and began tapping her foot in agitation. The floors were pretty grimy, she thought after looking around the small shop for the hundredth time. Don't they wash floors anymore?

Mia's eyes snapped back over the counter as the voices rose, apparently the clerk had enough. _Finally…_

But she thought too soon.

Three similarly dressed men walked in. As soon as they cleared the doorway two pulled out a gun each while the third slipped an ugly looking knife from the waist of his jeans. Almost immediately, one waved their gun towards Mia and the other man in front of her. She couldn't see his face, but she could tell he was tense. _We're at gunpoint, stupid, who wouldn't be?_

"Get on the floor!" The thug waving the gun around didn't look so steady, his hands were shaking, obviously not used to threatening people with firearms.

Not intending on getting shot, Mia backed away slowly and raised her hands, showing that she was harmless. The long haired man didn't move though, his posture definitely agitated and rebellious.

"I said get on the floor!" The thug aimed the gun, the visible trembles betraying his steady voice. He was looking back and forth between the two of them and what was going on at the counter.

Mia couldn't look away, fear twisted in her gut with each passing second that the man didn't move. He was going to get shot, what the hell was he doing?!

Suddenly small explosions rang as a gun was fired. Choked screams came from the counter and Mia's eyes flew to the scene. The clerk was bent over the counter, twitching as spasms racked his body. Blood decorated the wall behind him, and slowly seeped to the floor. The four robbers swore furiously as they grabbed whatever they could and stuffed them into bags, but Mia barely heard them. Bile rose in her throat at the sight and her vision blackened at the edges. Pictures didn't give scenes like this justice and terror pulsed through her. She had to get out.

Completely oblivious to the dark haired man's eyes watching her, Mia began edging towards the entrance, hoping to a god she didn't believe in that she'd somehow make it out of there alive. It was only a few feet, and she had almost made it, but her bag snagged a display and it all came crashing down. _Dammit!_

"Don't fucking move!" Two guns immediately were pointed at her and the sinister guy with the knife shoved his bag of loot to one of the others before moving towards her.

Why couldn't she have stayed home today? Mia loosened her fingers, having every intention of doing what he said. There wasn't much in her bag anyways: her house keys, wallet containing her licence and maybe twenty dollars, as well as a pack of gum and a small water bottle. Stuff she could easily replace, stuff that wasn't worth having her face rearranged.

The thug pressed closer, the blade just inches from her neck when the pressure from his grip suddenly loosened and he went flying through the air and onto the wall where he fell into a boneless heap.

Confused, but relieved, if only for a second, Mia gasped as the dark haired man growled at the now quite prone thug on the floor. The man stood protectively in front of her, his body curved slightly and his knees bent in anticipation. Mia couldn't imagine why, they never even exchanged words before.

"Fuck!" Their loot forgotten, the three remaining thugs advanced towards Mia and her knight in a black leather jacket just as sirens rang. "Leave them, the cops are comin'!"

"Fuck, are you cracked? Shoot them! They saw what happened!"

"It was an accident, man!"

"Shit, it don't matter," The hooded male aimed straight at the man in front of Mia, "get the chick."

"What about Ben?"

"Hell, what do you think? Grab him and the bags and run!" He mistakenly turned his head to snap at his fellow in crime. Before he could even blink the dark stranger kicked him straight in the gut, knocking him into the thug behind him. Fluidly, he grabbed the other by the arm as he made to shoot the dark blur that had attacked his companions. Frightened, the last remaining thug shot wildly, too freaked to care what he was aiming at.

Mia shrieked as a bullet flew inches from her nose and dived for the exit, rolling on the tile as she landed. A shout was heard from the store followed by a sickening crack, then silence. Gasping for breath, Mia scrambled to her feet. She heard a shout behind her and the trample of feet as police officers stormed into the mall.

"Stop!"

But she didn't stop, she had to get away. Away from the guns, from the blood, from the death. She ran for the doors, desperately needing air fresh from the metallic taint of blood. A hand grabbed at her arm and she screamed, terror flooded her mind and replaced the police officer with the knife wielding thug.

Tearing her arm free, an extra boost of adrenaline sent her flying outside only to come crashing down as she tripped over the uneven asphalt of the ground. Clenching her eyes closed in anticipation of the pain that the fall would induce, Mia jolted in surprise when instead a firm grip clamped around her waist to pull her upwards. Her eyes snapped open, ready to fight the thug that had caught up with her. Instead of hooded dark eyes, her own met with the strangely amused green of the stranger.

Setting her onto her feet, the stranger tugged Mia towards street. "Come with me."

She hesitated, suddenly her previous fear seemed irrational. The police would understand, she was just someone in the wrong place in the wrong time. Clutching her purse to her chest, Mia took a step back and looked at towards the door, "but the poli-" Her voice trailed off, the police man that had grabbed her earlier was lying between on the sidewalk, his throat a few feet beside him.

A dark chuckle sounded behind her and she spun around, her eyes widening as she watched the stranger lick the blood from his hand. Her stomach twisted at the sight and wondered if she had not been safer with the thugs. She backed away from the man, maybe if she screamed loud enough the police would hear. Blinking the tears away, Mia spun around intent on running as fast as she could, but before she could take more than a few steps she ran into the stranger's chest.

A sardonic grin on his pale face, he grabbed her around the waist and pointed towards the upper corner of the wall and to a video camera. His voice, low and sultry, caressed her ear and she shivered. "Smile for the camera."

Mia stared into the camera, hoping, praying that there was someone watching what was happening and would come out to save her. But too soon, the stranger was pulling her down the street. Under the pale street light he directed her towards an older model of a car that she couldn't put a name on; she was useless when it came to cars, unlike her brother. Holding the passenger's side door open for her, he almost appeared like a gentleman, if one ignored the way his long, black hair swirled around his face in the cool autumn air, and the rather obvious patches of dried blood on his hands.

She crossed her arms and refused to move. He could kill if he liked, but she would go no further. "What the hell makes you think that I'd go anywhere willingly with you."

He raised an elegant eyebrow, and Mia chastised herself for thinking that anything about this… monster was elegant. "Simple, my dear. It wouldn't take much to gather from the security cameras that you happened to be in the same area as that police officer when he was killed. Not to mention the only one to be seen." His eyes dared her to argue, he wasn't disappointed.

"What the hell are you talking about? I didn't… how can you say? You…" She stuttered, she could feel hysterics coming on. It was too much, too much. "You did it! It saw you, clearly. It had too!"

The stranger smiled, his eyes flashing in amusement, like he was only tolerating her accusations like one would tolerate a puppy begging for table scraps. It was cute, but only for so long. "That is the question, isn't it? Did the camera see me, or did it just see you?"

Mia couldn't answer that. Was it possible that the camera was positioned at an angle that it didn't see the stranger rip out that officer's throat? Her breath caught in her throat. Did they think she murdered him?

The stranger spoke again, this time his voice harder, more commanding. "I won't ask a third time. Get in the car."

She obeyed without protest. Her legs were wobbling from exhaustion, her adrenaline high long gone. The dark stranger slammed the door closed once she was seat-belted in and walked over to the opposite side, not even blinking an eyelash as an ambulance rushed by towards the mini-mall on its way to pick up those injured, or dead.

The stranger slid onto the driver's seat and started the car before driving off away from the scene that would haunt Mia's dreams for weeks. The stranger navigated the streets with efficiency, obviously knowing exactly where he was going and Mia dreaded the destination. Her heart dropped to her ankles every time he stopped at a red light, but that was nothing compared to how her body would tremble whenever a police cruiser rushed by. She didn't do anything, she knew she didn't do anything, but she couldn't say if they knew she didn't do anything. And until she found out, she was stuck here. She couldn't escape. Whoever this man was he was different, certainly not like anyone she had ever met.

Other than the dangerous feel that surrounded the man, there was something old about the way he carried himself. Like he held all the confidence in the world, but at the same time was weary of everything. She shook her head. There was no way she was going to find redeeming qualities over the man who had kidnapped her.

_But he saved your life. _That little voice in the back of her head pointed out the fact that had been floating around ever since he stopped her from falling.

_He also ripped a cop's throat out! _She snarled mentally to herself. Saving one life didn't mean he had the right to take another!

Taking deep breaths, Mia willed herself to calm. Slowly the trembles that wracked her body lessened to slight shivers that she could blame on the cool air, and her racing heart slowed down to a less life-threatening pace. Leaning her head against the cool glass of the window, Mia watched as the houses thinned and became sparser before melting into the bay that sat at the head of Lake Superior. A sign that she didn't want to see flew by as the stranger increased the car's speed and they raced out of Thunder Bay, the only home Mia had ever known.

All she knew now was that she had been kidnapped by a man who had ripped out someone's throat _with his bare hands_ after saving her from being killed by some thugs. She was being taken away from home, away from her life, and away from safety.

Her mom was going to have a heart attack.


	2. Shattered Logic

**Edit: **Thank you _Claudia_ for correcting my small attempt at Romanian. I have looked at learning the language myself, but the farthest I've come is being able to count to 10. :P **  
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**  
Wicked  
Lady Draculea  
Chapter 2: Shattered Logic**

_Saturday – October 27__th_

It felt like they had been driving forever. Trees, rocks, water and the occasional town flew by in a blur. The night was heavy and it was well past midnight, though Mia tried to avoid looking at the clock. Just watching the minutes pass by reminded her that she wasn't at home, snuggled under her layers of blankets and fast asleep.

At first she had hoped that she was dreaming. Pinching herself on the arm did nothing but leave a few self inflicted bruises to decorate her skin. Her kidnapper had laughed at her then, his deep voice mocking her wishes to be away from him.

After her pride had finished sulking, she had tried another tactic. Maybe if she stared at the clock long enough, time would stop like everyone said it did. Watching the clock only slowed it down, right? Apparently not. She had spent a good ten minutes watching the digital numbers pass by right on time. It never worked like that when she was in school. And all she gained was the feeling that her eyes were strained.

Defeated, she had gone back to watching the scenery pass by, but no matter how terrified or reluctant she was to acknowledge the stranger beside her, the burning curiosity in her wouldn't let her be. "Where are we going?"

He didn't answer, his eyes were planted firmly on the road in front of him. Not even a muscle twitched to acknowledge the fact that she had spoken.

Mia narrowed her eyes, furiously annoyed that he was ignoring her. Irony, oh she hated it, especially when it involved her. She had spent the better part of the last few hours pretending he didn't exist and now, after she had gathered every ounce of her admittedly small amount of courage to ask him a question, he goes and ignores her in return! Mia took a deep breath to calm her nerves and asked again, this time more firmly.

A corner of the stranger's mouth twitched, but otherwise, he didn't react. Mia felt her headache throb in return. At least she knew he was paying attention, if not a little. Not that she wanted him to pay attention to her. Who knew what sort of things he would end up doing to her? She didn't know if she should thank those murder mystery shows on television for preparing her for situations like this or if she should curse them for also showing her just how insane people could be.

Not willing to take her chances by asking a third time, lest she wear on his patience and provoke him on making their trip a little shorter. She had no doubt that she'd end up dead in an alley somewhere, maybe missing a body part or two. She knew that she should be terrified, she should be kicking and screaming, fighting with tooth and nail, but for some where she just couldn't summon the energy to do so. Had she resigned herself to the fact that she was going to die? She didn't think so. It wasn't as if she wanted to die. She had a family that loved her, a cat that expected her to feed him, and dreams and hopes for the future. She could feel the barely held back panic bubbling inside of her, but there was something in her that was holding it back and she didn't know what it was. She knew that whatever it was that was holding her emotions back wasn't a part of her and she didn't like it at all. It felt wild and ready to change into something else in an instant. She wanted it gone. She wanted to cry.

Almost as if it heard her thoughts, it loosened its hold on her a little and Mia felt a hot tear fall down her cheek in warning before the flood was let loose. Sucking in a shaky breath, Mia raised her hands to her face to hide her moment of weakness. The anguish that she had been holding back since the beginning of her ordeal, now unrestrained, forced sobs to bubble in her chest, alerting the stranger, if he hadn't already known, of her tears. She half expected him to goad her further, to laugh at her helplessness and rub it in her face, but he didn't say a word.

Curling up as much as she could on the small seat, Mia rested her forehead against the cool window. She couldn't seem to control the flow of her tears, but after some effort she was able to smother the sobs by telling herself to calm down, that there was no point in crying, and that she'd get away, somehow.

Forcing herself not to think any longer, she watched the world pass by through the window. Trees and blasted portions of rock flew by, hypnotising her with their reliable appearance. It wasn't until her eyes were closed that she realised how tired she was. The night's events had sucked all her energy and her body wanted rest. The soothing darkness behind her lids lulled her to sleep, a sleep that was thankfully dreamless.

The car hit a bump and Mia was startled awake. Momentarily disoriented, her heart pounded as she realised she wasn't in her bed. A quick look around brought the night's memories crashing back to her and she had to fight the wave of panic that threatened to overwhelm her. Breathing deeply, Mia unwound herself from the position she had slept her, her limbs stiff from holding the position for so long.

She raised her arms over her head in hopes to stretch out the kinks, her legs stretched out in front of her as much as she could in the confining space. Yawning, she looked at the time. Barely an hour had past since she had fallen asleep. Sleep was the last thing on her mind and she was surprised that she had managed to sleep at all. A quick, discreet perusal of herself proved that she wasn't missing any body parts, so she couldn't really complain.

Not particularly up to allowing herself to start thinking too much into her dilemma, Mia's eyes wandered over the dashboard in front of her. Following the curved lines with her eyes to the steering wheel, her gaze traced the pale hands where they navigated the vehicle, over the dark leather of the stranger's jacket to his face. His hair hid most of his features from her view, but she could remember with startling intensity the green of his eyes.

Almost as if he sensed her watching him, he turned his head slightly, causing his dark hair to slide over his shoulder and reveal his face. His eyes regarded her with amusement, and he raised a brow in question, knowing perfectly well that she didn't have an answer.

Mia felt heat rush to her cheeks when he caught her staring. Whipping her eyes straight to the road in front of her, she chastised herself for drawing attention to herself. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. _

Out of her peripheral vision, she caught the small smile that formed on the stranger's face as he studied her for a moment before turning back to the road. Mia let out a sigh of relief as his attention was diverted elsewhere. Looking to the roof, Mia traced the soft material with her finger tips. Remembering something she used to do as a child, she traced pictures on the ceiling; the thin fibres pressed to one side made it lighter or darker depending on what direction they were moved.

Soon growing bored of that, her eyes fell down to the rear-view mirror. It was tilted slightly towards the stranger, but she could still see in it clearly if she leaned to the side a little. Clearly enough that she could see a fraction of her face, the window from the back of the car and the driver's seat. The empty driver's seat.

Swallowing nervously, looked from the mirror to the seat, half expecting it to be empty and the car moving to swerve off a cliff, but he was where he had been for the past few hours. Confused she looked in the mirror again and back to the stranger in case her eyes had played a trick on her, but no, he was not reflected in the mirror.

Her kidnapper had no reflection. How the hell was that possible? She didn't dare look again lest something horrifying appear in the mirror and jump out at her. _Ok, Mia, think rationally. Monsters don't exist, especially ones that don't have reflections. You're too tired, dehydrated? Yes, that must be it. _Her mind set, Mia grabbed her bag that had dropped to the floor sometime during her nap. Grabbing the half empty water bottle, she sipped it slowly.

Once her water was gone, she fiddled with the bottle in her hands. She didn't want to look in the mirror again, she didn't want to see if it really was dehydration, or worse, if it wasn't. There was only one thing she could recall that didn't have a reflection.

Vampires.

But, vampires did not exist. Nor did they kidnap people. Well, unless they liked playing mind games with their food, which they probably did, but she wasn't even going to think down that path. Vampires did not exist, end of discussion, er, thought.

Having come to her senses, she slowly looked to her left, purposely avoiding the traitorous rear-view mirror. She didn't look at him directly this time, knowing somehow that he'd catch her red handed again. Instead she watched the gauges set in the dash board. They were going fast, over thirty kilometres over the speed limit. It was a wonder any police hadn't tried to pull them over yet. Nothing was flashing or particularly interesting, but the car was low on gas. An idea sparked. Low on gas meant they had to stop to get more soon. Stopped car and maybe the stranger leaving to pay or fill the tank, assuming it was self-serve, meant a chance to get away or call for help or something.

Hope made a reappearance and lifted her spirits, maybe she had a chance. Then she could call home and talk to her mom who was probably beside her self in worry, she could call the police and get everything straightened out.

"You'd have no chance." The stranger's voice sliced sharply through her thoughts and straight through her heart.

"Wh… what?" She stuttered and felt the blood rush away from her face in shock, how could he have guessed her thoughts?

The shadows that hid his face partly, amplified the stern look he was giving her, causing Mia to briefly entertain the idea that maybe logic was wrong for once. "If you run I will catch you and I will be _very _displeased."

"Okay," she squeaked at his expression. She didn't doubt for a second that he'd be able to catch her, and she had a feeling she didn't want to make him angry.

It was silent again, neither of them volunteered anymore words. Mia looked at her hands, they were clutching the water bottle, the plastic crumpled. It seemed almost metaphorical. Her hands where the stranger and the bottle her. He held onto her tightly, perfectly capable of crushing her with little effort.

Suddenly feeling reckless, Mia repeated the question she had first asked an hour earlier. What harm would it do? He could only end up killing her faster if she annoyed him, right? "Where are we going?"

To her surprise, he answered her. "Halifax."

"Why?"

No answer. She tried another. "Why did you kidnap me?"

He looked at her, his green eyes sparkling not with annoyance, but with amusement. "I was beginning to get bored."

Affronted by his answer, she opened her mouth to retort, but was jolted slightly when the stranger suddenly pulled off to the side of the road, slowing down before stopping at a gas station.

Once stopped, the stranger cut the gas. Turning to his new entertainment he regarded her silently. "I trust you will make no attempt to escape?"

Mia shook her head, still angry, but not angry enough to act stupid. "I won't."

He nodded and opened his door, "fifteen minutes and I want you back here."

Surprised that he was letting her out of the car by herself, she did nothing but nod as she watched him slide gracefully of the car.

Not willing to lose any of the time the stranger had given her, she got out of the car as well, though no where near as gracefully. Her muscles were stiff from sitting for so long, so she stretched before hobbling towards the building, marvelling that it was still open at this time of night.

After making use of the less than clean washroom, Mia browsed the aisles for something to eat and read. If she was going to be stuck in a car with a man who was likely to kill her, but not until Halifax at least, she wanted something to do. She chose a trashy romance novel, something about a rebellious princess and a dashing pirate captain.

Once the novel was paid for, as well as a bottle of coke and chocolate bar, Mia exited the small building and made her way back to the car. The stranger was waiting for her. He was leaning against the car, one hand on the hood to help him keep balance, the other holding a cigarette to his lips. He looked like the epitome of danger. Her instincts screamed at her to flee, to run and hide, but something else in her kept her moving. It was odd, it was as if two pieces of her were warring with each other. In the end, she kept walking.

Only a few feet away now, Mia stopped in front of the stranger and waited for him to acknowledge the fact that she hadn't made a run for it.

He took a deep drag on his cigarette, closing his eyes as the toxic smoke infiltrated his lungs. Exhaling, he blew the smoke towards Mia, smiling when she wrinkled her nose in blatant disgust and coughed.

Scowling at his bad habit, not that she cared that her kidnapper was killing himself with those things, and glared hatefully when he purposefully blew into her face. Coughing, she waved the pollution from her. "Can we go, now?"

He smirked, quite obviously enjoying her aggravation. "Patience, iubire."

Mia blinked, _what did he call me? _It certainly wasn't English, and she didn't recognize it from any of the small smatterings of French that she knew. Shaking her head, she went back into the car. The air was chilly at his time of night, though it was more like morning, and all she had on was a wool sweater over her sleeveless blouse.

Not long after, the stranger slid back into the driver's seat and they were back on the highway. Rarely would other vehicles pass them, and then it was usually semi-trucks and their trailers. Mia had never been out on the road so late at night. The overall effect was spooky, yet it was peaceful at the same time. If she hadn't been kept prisoner she might have even found it relaxing.

Against her better judgement, she looked into the mirror again. It was as it was before. The stranger still didn't have a reflection. And it unnerved her now as it did then, but now she was just a little more willing to believe it had nothing to do with science, but something else entirely.

"I was wondering when you would notice." The stranger was watching her, and could help but smile a little when she jumped in surprise.

She opened her mouth to say something, anything, "are you going to eat me?" Anything but that! She tensed, her eyes wide and her hand half way to her mouth in shock. _I can't believe I said that!_ Her eyes flew to the stranger, worried about his reaction.

She needn't have worried. At her question, the stranger threw back his head and laughed. The sound was rich and dark and it sent shivers down Mia's spine. Quickly controlling himself, the stranger's laughter melted into a grin that Mia didn't want to acknowledge. "Eat you?" His eyes sparkled, "do you want me to?"

Heat flooded her face and squeaked, "n… no!"

He leaned towards her until his face was barely a hair's breath from her neck. Mia was frozen in place, she could barely breathe. The stranger's cool breath tickled her neck and goosebumps rose on her flesh. Suddenly, lips brushed teasingly against her skin and Mia gasped. Closing her eyes, she waited in anticipation for the pain of being bitten that was sure to come. She could feel every movement of his lips on her skin. She felt him grin before pressing one more kiss upon her neck and pulling away.

When the pressure on her neck was lifted, Mia cracked open on eye when nothing happened. Braving the other, she looked at the stranger before quickly looking away when she noticed his eyes on her. Her face burned in embarrassment while her neck tingled from where he had kissed her, but she couldn't help but be thankful that he hadn't bitten her.

Vampire. The stranger who kidnapped her had to be a vampire. He had no reflection, he was impossibly fast, strong, and who knows what else. Mia didn't know when she suddenly started believing and she didn't care. She just wished that she was far, far away from him.

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_Translations:_

_Iubire Darling_


	3. Granola Bars

_Well, this only took forever and a day. Forgive me for taking so long. I made it extra long, well, it made itself extra long. I just kept growing and growing! Enjoy.  
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** Wicked  
Lady Draculea  
Chapter 3: Granola Bars**

_Saturday – October 27__th_

By the time they pulled up in front of a hotel, a rather well-to-do one by the look of it, the first signs of daylight were curling over the horizon. The morning mist had already made an appearance, and it was no longer impossible to see farther than a few feet away, though the fog was certainly not helping any.

Since it was so early, there was no one waiting outside the hotel to lend a hand with luggage, but it was just well. Mia didn't have any luggage, and neither did she think that the stranger had any as well. It would have been awkward trying to explain to a bellboy that they hadn't anything to bring up to a room. She was pretty sure that people didn't usually come to hotels without anything with them.

It also meant that the stranger didn't have any reason to believe that she had to be watched 24/7. Having someone close around to watch her would give her to courage to ask for help. But even if there was somebody around, she couldn't. She had already seen him rip somebody's throat out without a second thought, and if it was true that he was a vampire, then it would mean she caused an innocent man's death. Mia couldn't handle that guilt.

Putting the car into park, the stranger took the time to give her a look that, to Mia, meant many things. It meant: she couldn't run, scream, ask for help or try and communicate with anyone in anyway, or else… Well, she didn't want to think what would happen. Swallowing, she crossed her arms, making a point no to look at the stranger.

A minute passed and the stranger made no move to exit the car, annoying Mia greatly. What was he waiting for, a parade? Determined to ignore him, Mia didn't take her gaze away from the potted plant outside the hotel. She was just about to start tapping her fingers impatiently, when the stranger's arm sneaked out in front of her. Tensing, Mia's breath caught in her through, but as he pressed the door lock down, she exhaled a sigh of relief.

The stranger chuckled at her reaction, and Mia shot a glare at him, but that only caused his chuckles to increase.

"Not funny," she pouted, thought she really didn't mean to.

The stranger just smiled, slipping out of the car before entering the hotel. Once he was out of her sight, but she was probably not out of his, she relaxed.

It was only a few days more until November and the late rising sun was testament to that. While night didn't fall as early as it would later in the year, it still came early enough to make the nights long. That meant, if he really was a vampire, that they'd only be traveling during the night and from the fact that they were stopping for the day only reinforced these suspicions.

Not for the first time, and certainly not the last, Mia wondered why exactly the stranger had taken her in the first place. She certainly wasn't very interesting, so maybe it was just because she was in the wrong place t the wrong time? If it was somebody else at that convenience store, would they be in her place? Mia didn't know how to feel about that. Of course, she wouldn't wish this on anyone, but she really didn't want to be here either.

Knocks sounded on her window, and Mia jolted from the thoughts. The stranger was standing outside, a brow raised in question.

The windows where manual, so she opened the door instead, unlocking it first of course. "Yeah?"

"Come, we'll go to the room first. I'll move the car once you're settled."

Puzzled, Mia stumbled from the car, her purse in hand. Wouldn't it be easier to park first, and then go to the room, unless he planned on going somewhere else? "Err…"

Not waiting for Mia to straighten her thoughts, the stranger slammed shut the car door before taking hold of her free hand and leading her into the hotel.

The lights inside were bright, contradicting the dark gloom outside, and Mia found she had to close her eyes for them to adjust.

"All set now, sir?" A female voice with a purr that Mia did not like sounded not far in front of her. A hotel employee, she could tell by the uniform- a smart button-down white blouse and a short skirt (honestly, wasn't there some sort of dress code here?), stood beside the front desk.

The stranger smiled charmingly, "lead the way."

Knowing perfectly well that people weren't normally escorted to their rooms, Mia roller her eyes. The clerk nodded and smiled sweetly, purposely keeping her eyes off of the woman the stranger was holding the hand of.

When they passed the elevator, Mia thought nothing of it, assuming their room was on the first floor. It wasn't until they began ascending the staircase- a spiralling monument that twisted around an intricately carved pillar- that Mia began to her doubts, especially since their guide's skirt had the annoying habit of riding up her thighs with every step.

Narrowing her eyes, Mia asked a question she felt was safe to ask, "what room are we?"

It was the stranger who answered her, "523."

Interesting, "and what floor is that on?"

"The fifth," the stranger's voice held a hint of amusement, telling Mia that he wasn't oblivious to their 'guide's' advances.

"We couldn't take the elevator?" Skanky employee or no, she was tired, certainly no up to climbing four flights of stairs.

The said skanky employee answered this time, "it is currently under repairs."

Right, repairs, "uh huh."

They had started on moving past the third floor when Mia was hit by a sudden wave of exhaustion. Each step felt like a mile and her feet felt like lead. "Um…"

The stranger paused when Mia stopped, their guide as well when she discovered that the two of them were no longer following.

"Is everything alright?" Came the falsely concerned voice. No doubt she wished Mia would collapse down the stairs and break her neck or something.

The stranger, seeming to comprehend, answered before Mia could, "she is just tired."

She pretended to smile in understanding, "we're almost there."

Mia could see his intentions even before he moved, "I can walk." She made her point by continuing up the stairs, ignoring the stranger's knowing smirk as she moved past him.

"Hmmm… whatever you say."

The rest of the walk was thankfully uneventful. After miss-short-skirt-and-attention-span left, of course after having the stranger promise to call the desk and ask for "Penny" if he needed anything. Gag.

The room was nice enough, Mia decided. A comfy sofa in front of a television, a open doorway that led to a thankfully clean bathroom, and past an arch was a darkened bedroom, of course as it were with many hotels, plenty of tick curtains to block the sunlight.

"It goes without saying," the stranger began once Mia finished assessing where they would be staying for the day, "that you are not to leave these rooms."

Mia nodded, not in the mood, nor having the energy to argue, or do anything for that matter other than sleep.

"Good, I will return shortly." Mia grunted in reply, flipping on the television.

The click of the door signalled his departure, leaving the room silent save for the sound of the TV. There was nothing particularly interesting on, and nothing about the murders in a Thunder Bay mini-mall. She didn't understand, it wasn't everyday that multiple people were murdered, especially people having had their throats ripped out! So why weren't there any warnings for people to watch out for a delusional serial killer? There wasn't even a mention for god's sake! Did things like this happen often, often enough that it didn't even warrant a mention on the news? Or maybe it was something that the government hid, something that was better left unknown.

This time it was her stomach that interrupted her. Mia blushed hotly, as she heard the growling over the noise from the television. Thankfully the stranger wasn't here to witness it. Mia just knew that he'd smirk, even laugh to himself. The jerk.

She was hungry. She had already eaten her chocolate bar back in the car, but that was over an hour ago. Maybe she could convince the nameless stranger to let her order room-service. On that thought, she fell asleep.

* * *

Dreams of headless men and menless heads were interrupted when Mia found herself being pulled from her nap on the hotel couch. The world felt weightless before she was secured against a firm chest, her mind hazy from sleep and dreams. She clung to the anchor, nuzzling the soft cloth that her cheek resting on. Once again her world was jostled as her anchor shifted and moved, only to stop once again soon after and gently extract her from his embrace. 

The surface below was soft and wielding, easily cushioning her form and tempting her back to the Land of Nod. She barely registered the blanket of warmth that enveloped her before surrendering back to sleep.

* * *

The overwhelming urge to use the washroom woke Mia from her slumber hours later. While she was contemplating making a mad dash to the washroom she was also reluctant to leave the warm nest she was currently cocooned within. Although uncomfortable sleeping in her clothes, it took a minute to figure out why she was sleeping in her clothes in the first place. The stranger and recent events flashed through her mind, pushing and pulling and not to mention, pounding at her temple. She squeezed her eyes close at the intensity of the emotions that came with the memories. Resigned, she let her head slump back against her pillow, not realising that she had lifted it. She really had to stop waking up like this, it was horribly inconvenient and gave her a terrible headache.

It was pitch black in the room and she couldn't see a thing. Mia wiggled, intent on using the bathroom, only to be held back as what had to be a steel band tightened around her waist. Now that she thought about it, her pillow wasn't very soft or pillow-y. And hadn't she fallen asleep on the couch?

Stiffly, she turned her head to the side, her eyes widening and heart racing as she recognized the profile of the stranger only a few inches away.

Squeaking, Mia's face heated. She was in the same bed as her kidnapper, who happened to be a vampire, and not to mention she was very nearly plastered against his side! Did she mention that he wasn't breathing?!

Feeling as if her heart was in her throat and that she had to pee doubly so, Mia slowly twisted around until she was facing away from him. It took a lot of careful manoeuvring, but she finally managed to extract herself from the vampire's grip and bogey off the bed – she even managed to snag the top coverlet from the bed.

Feeling as if she was escaping from death, Mia tip-toed through the room, careful not step on her rightfully stolen blanket and fall. She didn't dare breathe until she was relatively safe in the bathroom with a door firmly between her and the slumbering vampire.

Clean white porcelain glinted welcomingly at her in the artificial light from the high powered light bulbs, the towels crisp and bleached until they were a colour so white it almost hurt to look at. Complimentary goodies that usually left her feeling raw, sat on the counter as well as lotion with a scent that she had never heard of. Ignoring them for now, Mia set out of relieve her protesting bladder and wash her hands. A shower was exactly up her alley, but first she wanted to be nosey and snoop into that paper bag that she had seen sitting on the table while making her great escape.

Opening the door, Mia peeked out; the stranger was still dead to the world. Mia winced, bad joke. Leaving the door open, she shuffled to the table where the bag was resting. Chancing one more glance towards to the bed, Mia hoped that the stranger wouldn't suddenly jump out from the shadows, shouting 'BLAH!' and end up scaring the daylights out of her.

The coast clear, Mia shuffled to the table and eyed the bag accusingly. Should she open it? What if there was something… dead or gross in there? Did vampires carry around the hearts of their victims? She didn't think so. She really didn't hope so.

_The hell with it, _Mia thought, opening the bag and then smiling grimly in relief when all she found was a pair of apples and a box of granola bars. Her mouth watered the sight of the food, but she hesitated on taking one. It wasn't as if she believed that the stranger would do anything for her, why would he? She doubted that he'd go to the trouble of feeding her if he was just going to kill her at the end of their trip through Canada. So he was playing mind games with her, tricking her into believing that he really wasn't going to kill her? Which was silly, what use would a vampire have with a human, other than for a meal? Not to mention she doubted that a vampire would reveal their nature to a human and just let them walk away, free to tell who they pleased! Novels and films aside, it just didn't make any sense, and this wasn't fiction!

Mia wrapped her stolen blanket tighter around her shoulders, taking an apple and granola bar in hand. She didn't think the stranger would be eating them himself, and if he hadn't wanted her to eat them then he shouldn't have left them out here in the open.

She finished off the food in record time, not really realising how hungry she was until she had polished off both apples and was half-way through of the granola bars. As tempted as she was to eat the rest of the bars, her stomach agreed readily enough, but she really didn't know when the next chance she would get to eat. She should have rationed what she had before she had gobbled most of it up, but it was too late to do so now.

Sighing, she tucked the rest back into the paper bag, keeping it out of her sight so her protesting stomach wouldn't manipulate her into eating the rest of it. She could only eat so many granola bars and apples before she became tired of them anyways. What she could go for right about now was a hamburger with all the fixings and a strawberry milkshake, fries, god, she'd even eat the coleslaw that always came with meals and that she gave to her brother to devour.

She looked towards the bed, then towards to the door leading her to potential freedom. It would be so easy to just unlock the door and leave. If she could get outside she would be safe, wouldn't she? If the stranger did happen to wake up at the most inopportune moment and catch her, well, he'd burst into flames or something if caught in the sunlight, right? But what if that was just a myth? She shook her head, _vampires_ are supposed to be myths and yet there is one sleeping not four meters away from her! How did she know what he could and couldn't do? All she knew that he didn't have a reflection, was ungodly fast and powerful (how many people do you know who can rip out people's throats?), and was currently sleeping. Of course, it could be that he preferred to travel at night since the traffic is nearly nonexistent and it would be more difficult to catch speeding like he seemed to do constantly. Bah. For someone with all the time in the world, he hurried like he was in a rush just like everybody else. Then again, compared to him everything else must move so slowly.

Mia scowled, thinking wasn't getting her anywhere. She didn't fancy getting killed or getting anyone else killed, so she wasn't going to take her chances by leaving. Besides, it was quite possible that he had arranged for something to keep her there. He couldn't completely trust her to keep her promise, could he? She sat on the couch, realising that that could be another possible mind game. Dammit, she was really starting to hate games.

Dropping the blanket onto the couch, Mia shuffled back towards the bathroom, locking the door once in the small room. A shower sounded lovely right about now. Her hair felt lank and oily, and she just felt generally unclean. She wished desperately that she could brush her teeth. Her breath must smell horrid about now. Unfortunately, neither toothpaste nor mouthwash was among the little bottles of shampoo, conditioner, soap and hand lotion that the hotel offered.

She'd have to make do by gurgling water; at least those apples she ate helped take off most of the edge of her morning breath. Now that she thought about it, she really had no idea what time it was. The stranger probably wouldn't awaken until nightfall, so it still must be daylight. Hopefully she wouldn't have to wait long for the sun to set. She knew that the longer she had by herself to think of whether or not she should run for it, the more likely she would be to run. Then again, wasn't it better not to have the stranger hovering around her shoulder, watching her with knowing eyes. Knowing what, she didn't know. She was pretty sure she didn't want to know either.

Done with thinking, Mia quickly peeled off her clothes, folded them and placed them on the counter so they wouldn't get wet. As soon as the hot spray hit her, Mia sighed gratefully, content to just stand under the hot barrage of water and let it wash away all her fears, even if it was temporary. Letting her mind wander over nothing and everything, Mia washed thoroughly.

Once scrubbed pink and as wrinkly as a prune, she stepped out of the shower and into the steam filled room. Goose pimples rose on her flesh as cool air hit her, and she quickly wrapped herself in a towel. After wringing the water from her hair into the sink, she wiped the condensation from the mirror, her reflection greeting her.

It amazed her that after everything that had happened, she looked just as she did the day before. The same blond hair, the same brown eyes, the same skin, nose, ears, face, the same everything. There wasn't any newly acquired wisdom in her eyes, nothing that marked her as someone who survived an encounter with a supernatural being.

Mia snorted. Had she really thought that she would change? That she would be different in some way? She was being ridiculous. Purposely not allowing herself to dwell on those thoughts, she blow-dried her hair, combing it best as she could without a hair brush. Her clothes were mostly clean, though her lack of deodorant irked her. The lotion she ignored, the scent a lavender-and-something mix that made her sneeze.

With nothing else to occupy her attention, she tidied up the washroom; hanging the towels over the shower curtain rod and cleaning up the puddles of water she had left. Once finished, she left the bathroom, moving to the window to peek outside. It was still daylight out, but horribly cloudy. Dark clouds lined the sky and foretold of a thunder storm soon to arrive. Normally Mia enjoyed thunder storms, but that was when she was safe at home, preferably with a blanket, a good book and a cup of tea. Not while traveling on the road with a vampire who drove homicidally fast.

Hopefully the storm would continue west, moving in the opposite direction of them. As much as she knew that she was probably going to be killed in the next few days, she didn't want to end up getting killed in a car crash because of bad driving conditions. To make sure, she turned the television on, flipping the channels until she found the weather network.

"…humidity and a seventy percent chance of thunder storms over the south-west side of Ontario. A prediction of four to ten centimetres of rain, be sure to close your car windows…"

Great, just bloody great. Mia scowled at the television. Why didn't lightening just strike her right now, and get it over with. Sighing in disgust, Mia flopped onto the couch, flipping through the channels searching for a cartoon to take her mind off of everything

* * *

Half a marathon of Bugs Bunny cartoons later, Mia settled on a channel dealing with national news. Maybe news on the murders would be mentioned now. It was just impossible that something of that magnitude could be left unreported. A cop was killed for god's sake, they always mention deaths of firefighters or cops while on the job. 

Rise in gas prices, rumours of a new novel by some author she never heard about, three children stuck on a roof in Alberta after impersonating ninjas, a burglary, and attempted murder. There was nothing! Thunder Bay wasn't even mentioned in the news. Why wasn't there anything? Not even a missing persons report! Didn't her mom and brother realise she was gone?!

"You won't find anything." The stranger was standing behind the couch where Mia was lying, his hair slightly dishevelled from his sleep, but otherwise looked as fresh as a daisy. That is, if you ignored the pale skin and lack of anything remotely related to flowers.

"Huh?" Mia jumped, her heart in her throat. She really hated being snuck up on.

"There won't be anything on the news, there never is." Shrugging, the stranger ran a hand through his hair, grimacing as his fingers ran across knots.

Mia felt like giggling, finding it amusing that her kidnapper was concerned over the state of his hair. She sobered, remembering what they were talking about. "Why not? They can't just ignore the… ignore it!"

The stranger grunted as he tugged his fingers through his hair, "The government's doing, certainly no fault of my own."

"I never said it was," Mia huffed. As if she believed that he had any doing to keeping the deaths quiet. Then again, she was sure a vampire wouldn't want the fact that bodies were found sans blood all over the news. Mia wondered how many vampires were out there, and if things like this happened more often than she thought.

His lips twitched, "I know." Giving up on his hair, he pulled a hair tie from a pocket, and pulled his hair from his face. "You are probably presumed dead, you know."

"What?!" Mia paled, they couldn't have! _Nononononono._

The stranger hummed, his eyes hooded and expressionless. "You were seen on the scene, and are now missing. They have no reason to believe that you are still alive. They're usually right."

Mia licked her lips nervously, "and why is now different?"

He inclined his head, not answering.

Mia's heart pounded in her chest. They thought she was dead, her mom, brother… her cat Demetri. She pushed herself off the couch, and began to pace, chewing nervously on a finger nail. The stranger watched her silently, a small smirk twisted his lips and Mia wanted nothing more than to yell and scream and beat him over the head with a crowbar.

She turned to face him, "let me call my mom." She had to talk to her, tell her that she was alright, that she was alive.

The stranger raised an eyebrow, "and what would you tell her?"

"I'd tell her…" That she was alive, that she didn't kill anybody, that she didn't have to worry, that she missed her and Michael, to look after Demetri, and… that she had been kidnapped by a vampire for the sole purpose of amusement and that she was probably going to be killed in a couple of days once her novelty wore off.

Defeated, she collapsed onto the couch. There was nothing she could do, nothing that she could tell her mother without it sounding like she had been involved in a mass murder… one that she probably hadn't even heard about. Her mom probably had been told that she had been mugged in an alley and thrown into the bay. Besides, what kidnapper would let her phone home? It wasn't as if he was holding her from ransom.

While she had been lost in her thoughts, the stranger had been silent. She looked at him, barely believing that he had ripped her from her from everything she new just so he could cure his boredom. Who did he think he was?!

Almost as if he could read her thoughts, an eyebrow rose at her developing anger, that infernal smirk on his lips. His eyes glinted, eager for a challenge.

Mia clenched her jaw, refusing to do what he expected her to do. She would just ignore him, if she bored him, then that was his own fault. He should have picked a more temperamental person to play with. She was done being made a fool of.

From her peripheral vision, she watched as the stranger frowned, almost pouting at how she refused to be baited, but that was ridiculous. Vampires, especially this one didn't pout. They weren't allowed to.

_Now you're the one being ridiculous. _Her mind snipped at her.

_Oh shut it, _she snarked back. She sighed to herself. She was losing her mind! She never argued with herself before she had been kidnapped.

"Hm."

Mia jumped, her eyes blazing as she turned towards the stranger ready to give him a piece of her mind, except her was no longer there. Blinking, she looked around the room, squeaking when she felt cool breath tickle the skin of her neck. Spinning around, she glared at the stranger. "Stop doing that."

There was that eyebrow again, "doing what?"

She scowled; he was definitely not making this easy for her. "Are we going now?"

He hummed to himself, "if you wish."

Mia was silent as she followed the stranger to the door. She watched as he snagged the paper bag on the way before handing it to her. Taking it, the stranger turned away. She would have left it at that, but her mother hadn't raised her without manners. "Thank you."

It came out barely as a whisper, but he heard it anyways. Pausing, he looked back at her before continuing out into the hall.

Grabbing her purse, Mia walked after him, ignoring the fact that he held the door open for her. Why did he do that anyways? Why waste manners on her? She had an excuse, she would rather not invoke his ire towards her, but she was nothing more than a toy to him, right?

The trip to the lobby was silent. They took the elevator. The elevator that was working perfectly fine, if she might add. Once on the bottom floor, it was a short walk to the parking lot. Mia ignored the fact that the same woman from the morning was leaning on the counter, the top buttons of her blouse undone and showing off a generous amount of cleavage. The floozy was waving to the two of them, more likely to the stranger, and fluttering her eyelashes provocatively, but Mia thought it just made her look like she had something in her eye.

The ride from the city and back onto the highway was silent, but that was perfectly fine with Mia. This would be the second night in his company, and she didn't know anything about him. She didn't really expect him to tell her anything, not that he had to, but it was a little frustrating. How could it hurt? She chewed on her lip, debating what would be a safe question to ask. "I don't even know you name."

He didn't answer right away, but his brows furrowed slightly in thought. Shifting his eyes from the road, he glanced at Mia for a second before answering. "Vlad."

Mia blinked, thinking that she had read this book before.

Vlad was looking at her expectantly and she quickly scrambled to reply. "Amelia. Mia for short."

Vlad smiled, choosing to say nothing, and shifted his attention back to the road.

Leaning back into her seat, Mia felt as if a whole other wave of impossibilities had come crashing down onto her. So the person who kidnapped her is a vampire who happened to be named Vlad, which meant nothing. It was entirely possible that 'Vlad' wasn't even his real name, right?

Thunder boomed in the distance followed by a streak of bright lightning. The storm had begun; but luckily the rain had yet to start. Mia forced herself to relax. Forced herself to forget that she was a long way from home.


	4. Fairytale

What's this, Chapter 4 of Wicked? You don't say! Impossible! It's a miracle! It's... alright, I'll stop. I'm terribly sorry for the delay. I can't come up with an excuse that would redeem my lateness with this chapter. Really, there is no excuse, real or imagined. I had this chapter sitting mostly done for the longest time, and I only now got around to finishing it.

Bearing that in mind, I want to think everyone who waited patiently (and not so patiently) for this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

** Wicked  
Lady Draculea  
Chapter 4: Fairytale**

_Sunday – October 28__th_

As much as Mia loved the Ontario scenery, it was practically constant and frankly, after an hour, she was bored out of her mind. Vlad was silent for the most part, though Mia had caught him more than once moving his lips silently, as if he was talking to himself. As entertaining as it was, it didn't do anything for Mia other than spare her a couple minutes of boredom.

Mia wasn't actually bored enough to start a conversation, though that possibility was looking better as the minutes ticked by. The few conversations they did have usually ended up with him either laughing at her or someone died. But at the rate time was moving - as in slowly, she might just risk it (not that she wanted anyone to die - she was, though, willing to be laughed at if it meant something to do.)

It was then that she remembered the cheap romance novel that she had picked up at the gas station the night before. Digging it out of her bag, she first read the summery, then studied the cover picture. The typical tanned, muscled hero stood against a backdrop of the sea, a slender, busty woman swooning in his arms. It wasn't something she normally read (not that she would admit out loud, anyways), but it was better than dying of boredom.

The novel started out describing the main character: the daughter of a king. She was rebellious, with very unprincess-like ideals (not to mention ideas fair modern to the time period), beautiful, kind, generous, stubborn, did she mention beautiful? A chapter in or so, the princess sneaks out of the castle, masterly slipping past the guards in a manner that would make master thieves green with envy, to walk among the city folk and 'study' their way of living. Anyways, she runs into a masked man, who nicks her pendant, her late-mother's, that holds oh so much sentimental value, she chases after him, eventually getting them both into trouble, going on some dangerous adventure and, of course, falls in love.

She was halfway through the book when she put it down, she didn't need to finish it to know how it ended. Either the princess will run away with her pirate-lover, or she'll end up guilting her normally cold-hearted father into accepting her relationship. Then they'll get married, pop out numerous babies, and live happily ever after. It was so sweet it was giving her cavities.

"Not enjoying your book?" It was the first time either of them spoke since their name exchange.

Mia realised she had been scowling and quickly wiped it from her face. "Not really."

Vlad tilted his head to the side, "Care to elaborate?"

He almost sounded interested, but Mia couldn't see why he would be. Maybe he was getting bored again? And if he was wouldn't that mean that he'd kill her sooner rather than later? She should probably not to try his patience then.

She sighed; she was becoming tired of having to fear for her life. "It's just stupid and really cliché…"

Vlad hummed, asking her not in words to continue.

"Uh," it was embarrassing enough that her kidnapper knew she was reading a trashy romance novel, but to actually _explain _it to him? "It is just about this perfect princess who meets this pirate, kicks some butt, saves the day, falls in love, makes lots of babies… You know, the usual thing."

He was smiling; no where near the grin or smirk he sported when he was laughing at her, "The usual thing?"

Mia nodded, more to herself than to him. "Yeah, all these books are pretty much the same. They just contain smut with some plot scattered in-between."

"I take it you have read enough of these to come up with that conclusion?" There was laughter in his voice now and that smile that Mia was beginning to like, just a tiny bit because she was not going to like him, turned into his patented smirk.

Mia blinked, realising what she had said. Sputtering, she tried to salvage what was left of her pride, what was left of it anyways, "I… of course not! It just, they are all the… same… really." Feeling her cheeks burn in embarrassment, Mia covered them with her hands and refused to look at the man beside her. She couldn't believe he thought she read those trashy books all the time when she didn't! She had only read like three, ok four counting the one she was reading now. Dammit!

Vlad's smirk didn't fade even as the seconds ticked by in silence, infuriating Mia even more. What did he find so funny about her anyways? All he did was embarrass her time after time. Scowling, Mia slumped into her seat and picked at the seat belt. Why did she put up with this anyways? So he was a vampire who could toss her around like a rag doll, kill her by ripping her to pieces or whatever else? Not to mention the fact that he probably had no qualms about killing anyone else who came too close or attempted to help her. Defeated, Mia realised she had just answered her own question.

She felt it before she heard it, and it sent her cheeks flaming again. Her stomach, growling in protest, made itself known by quite audibly gurgling. The rest of the food that Vlad had given her didn't last long, and she had finished it off not long after they started traveling again. Now, hours later, her stomach was reminding her that she hadn't eaten a proper meal in too long.

Her hopes that Vlad hadn't her stomach's protests shrivelled miserably when he chuckled at her plight. _Could it get any worse? _

"I take it you are hungry?" It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement, and Mia answered with a glare. Vlad just smiled, and shrugged towards to the road, "There is a rest stop not far from here; we'll stop for a bite there."

Mia exhaled slowly. What did he mean by 'we'? He wasn't planning on making a meal out of someone, was he? Then again, wouldn't it be better that he was well fed so he wouldn't set his sights into making her into a meal?

The remaining drive to the road stop was filled with nervous anticipation. Anticipation for a real meal, but not looking forward to knowing exactly Vlad was going to have as his meal. It almost made her lose her appetite, almost, but not quite. It made her wonder if she was slowly becoming desensitized to the idea of death, and it left her with a sick feeling in the base of her stomach.

* * *

Once parked and situated in a booth at the roadside diner, Mia was nearly bouncing. She had polished off her glass of Pepsi, the caffeine and sugar successfully waking her up, even if she hadn't been already. 

Vlad watched, amused and not hiding the fact, as she squirmed in her seat. "Do not despair; your dinner will be here shortly."

Mia was about to retort when her burger and fries was set down in front of her, the waitress's fingers barely left he plate before she grabbed the cheeseburger and bit a chunk out of it. Completely immersed in her meal, she forgot about Vlad and his mocking words and missed the perplexed look from the waitress who refilled her empty glass and filled Vlad's up with coffee.

Mia demolished the burger in record time, barely stopping in-between bites to gulp down her drink.

It was during an interval when she was washing down a bite that she looked at her kidnapper, his presence more of or less forgotten when presented with food. His cup of coffee was cooling in front of him, a very amused smile on his face. "You are going to give yourself a stomach-ache."

Mia frowned into her soda and swallowed, "Probably."

Convinced, Mia worked on her meal at a slower pace. A stomach-ache was not something she wanted to deal with, nor did she want to ruin her meal by not tasting it.

Even after taking the time to savour her meal, it only took her an additional few minutes to finish the last of her french-fries. Leaning back, she watched as Vlad traced a finger around the rim of his cup of coffee as he gazed absently out of the window. The cup was only half full, making her wonder if he had actually been drinking it, and before she knew it, her mouth ran away without her. "Did you actually drink that?"

Leaning his head on his palm, Vlad shifted his gaze from the night to his 'source of amusement', a corner of his lips tilting in a half smile, eyes glinting mischievously. "Why? Did you want it?"

Mia huffed, turning her head to purposely not look at him, "You know what I mean."

"Do I?" He raised the cup to his lips, taking a sip.

Scowling, Mia chose to fiddle with a piece of lettuce that had escaped her burger on the now mostly empty plate. She was not going to give him any more ammunition to tease her with. It was really grating on her nerves and she was actually considering making a run for it. The place was teaming with truckers. The loud, boisterous kind that were more like to slam her head into a lamp post than listen to a girl rambling on about vampires. Frowning, Mia decided that she was probably better off asking for help from someone who wasn't just as likely to knock her over the head and throw her into a ravine.

But who could she ask for help? Mia had seen what Vlad could do, and who knew what else he could do. Could he turn into a mist or bats? Could he melt into the shadows or control people with his mind? What she did know was that he was capable of ripping someone's throat out, not to mention move really quickly. He could scare the living day-lights out of her just by grinning at her. At least he didn't have hairy palms or blood-shot eyes. Ick.

"Do you want any dessert, hun?" The waitress was suddenly beside the table, her worn notebook in one hand while she picked up the empty plate. "You tore through that meal like you hadn't eaten in days, I'm sure you have room for more."

"Um," she looked at Vlad, he was the one paying for her meal, after all. Maybe it was taking advantage of his moment of charity, but if he was going to feed her, she was sure as hell going to get everything she could out of it. Besides, apple pie would be really good right about now.

The man in the chair across from her shrugged his shoulders, his hair pulled back from his face in a lose pony-tail now. "Go ahead."

Smiling, Mia quickly ordered her piece of pie, declining the offering of coffee. When the waitress left to retrieve her dessert, Mia looked at her kidnapper. "Why are you feeding me anyways? I'd be more miserable and prone to outbursts if I was hungry."

Chucking into his coffee, Vlad took a sip before setting it down. Resting his head on his palm as he leaned his elbow on the table, he watched her with calm green eyes, his sunglasses neatly folded and resting on the table. "Perhaps, but you are also less likely to do something foolish when you aren't desperate from hunger. Besides," a smirk curled at his lips, "you are much more interesting when you're rational."

Confused, Mia barely acknowledged the fact that a warm slice of apple pie had been placed in front of her. What did he mean by that? He certainly hadn't known her long enough to come to that conclusion, and she certainly had not been entirely rational when he kidnapped her. Hell, no one would be rational after being kidnapped. "I don't understand."

"I suppose you wouldn't." He looked pointedly at her cooling pie, "Your dessert is getting cold."

"Huh?" Mia blinked stupidly before remembering that her pie had been served. Blushing, she busied herself with eating, taking the time to savour her favourite dessert instead of inhaling it like she had with the hamburger and fries.

The rest of her meal was finished in silence, her kidnapper not seeming willing to speak further on what he meant. The waitress came with the bill and quickly left with a couple of twenties. Vlad had generously left whatever was left as a tip. Mia rolled her eyes at the completely charmed expression on the over-worked waitress's face, she was awestruck and Mia couldn't tell if it was because of the tip that was probably more than what she made in four hours work or just from the charm and _presence _that Vlad exhibited. Frankly, Mia was getting annoyed that every female in a yard's distance stopped to oogle her kidnapper. Didn't vampires want to blend in and not cause undo attention to themselves?

Mia shook her head, ignoring the amused look that Vlad gave her. Maybe he was luring in a meal. It would make sense, in a way. What better way to catch your prey if the prey came to you? Like a Venus Fly Trap. Just when the innocent victim thought she was safe, then SNAP, good-bye cruel world.

The moment they stepped outside, the warm and cozy atmosphere of the restaurant was shattered as a cool breeze swept by, scattering any last reminders and sending chilly fingers to pinch her cheeks. Beside her, Vlad tensed and Mia knew that it wasn't because of the cold.

At first glance it appeared that is was only the two of them outside, but after a quick look Mia realised that that wasn't true. A little further away from them stood four men who were smoking and looking rather glum under the short canvas that offered little protection from the elements. Farther still a semi-truck parked for the night before the driver tumbled from the cab and started jogging towards the restaurant.

Somewhat assured by the lack of things jumping out from around the corners, Mia tugged on the leather of Vlad's coat, "Vlad?"

"Go ahead to the car," he said, his head tilted to the side as if he was listening for something. "I will join you in a moment."

"What-"she began to say, but the storm decided to interfere with her question and chose then to belch a procession of booms. The look Vlad gave her booked no alternatives, and sent her jogging to the car. The wind encouraged her by pressing against her back and ended up pushing her into her seat.

Looking back at the restaurant/gas station, Mia felt that she shouldn't be surprised that Vlad was no longer standing outside the door, but it did anyways.

Unnerved, Mia locked the doors. Just in case, she told herself. The howling wind scratched and rocked against the car, fraying Mia's already frazzled nerves, and sent unbidden scenarios through her mind. Cursing at her imagination, Mia pushed the thoughts of hook wielding murderers away. She was already in the presence of a murderer, one that could probably kick the ass of any other murderers, so she was safe… sort of.

The grind of a key in lock followed by the driver's door swinging open, startled Mia from her thoughts. Slowly, she let out her breath as Vlad slid into his seat. She hadn't even realised her had been holding her breath, but her slightly burning lungs told a different story.

He didn't seem any different, Mia mused as she watched Vlad start the engine. He must have gone to… eat. Mia shuddered, suddenly feeling ill. She really did not want to taste her meal a second time. Breathing deeply, Mia closed her eyes, resting her forehead on the cool glass of the window. Finally as her heat beat slowed, Mia chanced a second glance at her kidnapper.

Again, he looked the same; deathly pale, black haired pulled back, and a smirk twisting his lips. There was nothing to indicate that he had sucked someone's blood, he wasn't suddenly more 'alive looking' or doing cartwheels. Maybe she was wrong? Maybe he hadn't actually bitten someone, but had done something else like use the washroom. Did vampires even _need _to relieve themselves, Mia wondered with a puzzled frown. She couldn't really imagine why since they were technically dead and she had thought that meant that their internal organs no longer functioned, but then again, vampires weren't supposed to exist, so who knew.

Shrugging slightly to herself, she exhaled audibly, missing the curious look from Vlad as she settled further into her seat. There was still a long way to go, so she might as well be comfortable.

* * *

When Vlad suddenly pulled off to the side of the highway and cut the gas, Mia knew that something was wrong. The thick clouds in the sky blocked any and all of the moon's luminance and the highway was silent, creating a horrendous fantasy right in front of her eyes. With the little light that the car had created gone, Mia felt blind, and as each second ticked by, she became aware of how fragile she was. 

"Vlad?" Mia whispered, wishing that her nervousness wasn't so apparent in her voice.

"It seems that I have underestimated them." Vlad said after a moment, a pensive yet pleased smile decorating his lips. Not that Mia could see that.

"Underestimate who?" Mia was confused. Was someone following them? Sudden hope flared in her chest, maybe she would be rescued after all.

Levelling a sideways glance at the woman beside him, Vlad said, "Don't expect any help from them. They won't be offering anything that you would want."

"What do you mean? Who are they?'

"Hunters," he said with a silent laugh. "They are a resilient group, if anything."

Hunters, Mia thought with a frown, could this get anymore surreal? "You mean like vampire hunters?"

Vlad shrugged out of his jacket before throwing it into the backseat, startling her with his sudden movements. "Yes and no. They hunt other things too, looking to purge the earth of _Lucifer's children._" Vlad sneered, obviously not pleased with their goal.

"…Other things?" The thick darkness outside the car suddenly seemed so much more real. Clenching her hands in her lap, Mia couldn't help but shudder at the implications of his words. While Vlad was proof of the existence of vampires, it really hadn't sunken in that he wasn't the only one. How many creatures like Vlad roamed the streets? There must be enough if there were actually hunters looking for these creatures to destroy. And it wasn't just vampires either, there were _other things. _Suddenly Mia didn't think her mom was so crazy after all. If vampires existed, who was to say that her mom wasn't actually psychic?

Vlad's eyes never left Mia during her inner dialogue, watching her as she finally realised the world was so much more than she had thought. When her brown eyes met his green, he said, "Normally I would play with them a little longer, but I'm not the main concern at the moment."

Confused, Mia shook her head. "But you said they aren't going to help me."

"They're not," he grinned, "they want to kill you."


End file.
